Quote Originally Posted by Jus1More View Post
Thanks Cheesenugget for your reply. I know its a risk buying a Indonesian BTS. My friend who is selling them cant guarantee these babies are parasite free and that makes me nervous. I would not want to affect my other reptiles at home and really can not afford high vet bills. I know that Northern BTS are less of a risk, more calmer to handle and do not require high humidity. Its just finding one here is hard and when and if you find one they are pricey.
I was doing some more searching and came across a guy who was downgrading and selling a few of his Northerns. They were pricey but there was one in particular that caught my eye. It was a 2018 baby Northern and his tail had been bit off by a cage mate during feeding time. He looked so helpless and yet so adorable! It looks like the tail is trying to grow back but I am not sure how much will grow back? The guy came down in price for him because of his tail and it was a price that I could afford. I am very excited about getting him in a few days. I am going to house him in a tub to secure temps and humidity as that is what he is housed in currently.
I am glad I found this little fella but the more I read about Indonesians the more unsettled I felt. These BTS are a good chunk of change and you want to get one you can enjoy...Thanks for your advice again!
Please don't house it in a tub. Northerns do not require humidity the same way as the Indos. They come from dry areas in Australia - low humidity is what they need, less than 30%.

Secondly, BTS of all species are intelligent and observant animals. They don't stare at things with a goofy look on their faces like bearded dragons do. They do interact with their environment, they do climb (and fail), and they look to what is going outside of their enclosures. Hence, glass tanks are best for them where they can see the world around them and they enjoy that.

By placing it in a tub, no matter how clear it is, it is not the same as glass. I would place Homer in a clear tub temporarily during cleanings and he cannot see what is going on outside of the tub. In his glass tank, he would see me approach, looks at me and then crawl up to me for food.

I hate to be that person but unlike other species of reptiles where housing can be done both ways, I would strongly suggest you to reconsider using a glass enclosure, especially for a Northern that does not need humidity the same way as a bp or Indo. Just because it was housed previously that way does not make it right and continued the same way, and the huge red flag is there knowing it was housed with another BTS, which one should NEVER do (The skink should be lucky only his tail was chomped on. Many will fight to kill if they were housed together). That alone should tell you how wrong the set ups were.

If you can't afford a large sizable cage for a BTS, please do not get it just so you can repeat the same mistake the last owner made. A fecal is less than $40 usually and an exam should range about $50-75. It really cost very little compared to many other expenses that you probably dealt with in your life. Bringing in a pet requires commitment to provide the basic veterinary care as well as the most ideal home possible that provides a quality of life for these lizards. If you can't afford to do so at this time, then wait for it.

Btw, if your Northern ate live insects, it probably has parasites so you would still need a fecal all the same.